Because of the Flu
by dolphintale204
Summary: Thanks to the flu, Lucy's stuck at home. With rent coming up, Team Natsu took a mission to help pay for it. Lucy wasn't counting on them, for they were bound to lose over half the reward. Instead, when she was feeling a bit better, Lucy went to the guild to find a job that her half-sick self could do. Then, Laxus decides to take a S-class mission, dragging Lucy along with him!
1. Flu Season and Missing Rent

**_Because of the Flu_**

 _Ch. 1 - Flu Season and Missing Rent  
_

 _ **Summary:**_ _Thanks to the flu, Lucy's stuck at home. With rent coming up, Team Natsu took a mission to help pay for it. Lucy wasn't counting on them, for they were bound to lose over half the reward. Instead, when she was feeling a bit better, Lucy went to the guild to find a job that her half-sick self could do. Then, Laxus decides to take a S-class mission, dragging Lucy along with him?!_

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Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

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Lucy awoke on a bright, sunny morning, feeling not-so-sunny herself. Her throat was scratchy, her eyes were swollen, and there was a constant stream of snot running out of her nose. A pile of tissues lay next to her on the floor.

She sneezed into a tissue, blowing her nose, and tossing it into the rapidly growing pile on the floor. As Lucy reached for another one out of the near-empty tissue box, she heard a loud rapping on her window.

Turning, she fell off the bed in surprise. Natsu's face was smushed against the glass, resulting in a distorted look. The fall really didn't help her headache, and Lucy rubbed her forehead as the pounding worsened. She really needed some aspirin. Another sharp rap at her window made her focus on what made her fall in the first place. "Natsu!" Climbing back onto the bed, Lucy reached over to open the window, moving rather slowly as her whole body ached. When it was open, she blocked his way from entering. "Use the door!" she shouted. Slamming the window shut, Lucy started coughing again. The yelling had exerted her voice too much, and her scratchy throat was not helpful at all.

Hearing a knock on her door, Lucy sat up, and started to slowly get out of bed. Before she even left the bed, _BAM!_ The front door burst open, kicked off its hinges.

Groaning, Lucy fell back onto her bed. Great. More expenses to pay along with rent. She listened as multiple pairs of feet walked rather loudly towards her bedroom.

"Hey Luce! Want to go on a mission with us?" It was Natsu who came through the doorway first. He waved around a piece of paper, presumably the mission request.

Coughing, Lucy blew her nose before replying. By then, Erza, Gray, and Happy all had entered her bedroom. "I can't," she said, her voice hoarse, "I think I have the flu." After all, it was flu season, and Lucy had woken up with all the symptoms of the flu.

Happy landed on her bed, his wings disappearing with a green glow. "Then what about that huuggee rent you always need to pay? Will you be able to without the mission?"

She gestured towards a drawer, motioning for Erza to open it. "I have the rent money saved up in there."

"Uhh… Lucy? Are you sure about that?" Erza pulled the drawer out, holding it up for Lucy to see. It was empty, save for a few coins that rolled around before falling out of the drawer. They coins clattered to a stop on the floor.

Lucy noticed Natsu shifting around, with a look on his face. From experience, Lucy had learned the look meant 'guilt'. Lucy turned towards him, eyes narrowing into a menacing glare. "Tell me what you did," she demanded.

"I-uh… um…" Natsu stuttered, taking a step back as evident anger came off of Lucy in waves. "I-I took the money to buy food f-for me and Happy," he said, backing away nervously. One hand reached up to ruffle his salmon colored hair.

"YOU WHAT?!" Lucy groaned. Of course. She shouldn't have left the money unguarded. Now, what could she do? It looked like she'd have to take a mission this afternoon—whether she felt better or not. She sneezed into another tissue, causing Happy to shriek as she purposely tossed it onto him. Revenge was _very, very_ sweet. Lucy hoped that Happy would catch the flu from the dirty tissue, grinning as she watched Happy fly to the bathroom in a panic to wash himself off.

Gray spoke up, bringing Lucy out of her amused thoughts and ill-wished upon the blue exceed. "We'll take some missions to help pay your rent."

Shaking her head, Lucy protested. "No, you don't have to do that."

An armored hand reached for Lucy's own, and Lucy winced as Erza crushed it in her grasp. "Yes, we'll do it for you. You're sick, and shouldn't be out of bed worrying about rent. You have you stay healthy and get better, you know," Erza said.

Gray nodded. "Don't worry about it. After all, we're family," he said, before he proceeded to pull Natsu out the door.

"Rest well, Lucy, and leave the rent to us," said Erza. She let go of Lucy's hand, patted Lucy on the shoulder, before taking Happy out of the bathroom, and exited the apartment with him.

As they left, Erza pulled the broken door up, and propped it against the doorframe. "We'll also fix the door," she said, her voice fading as she walked onto the street.

"Bye," Lucy croaked after them.

Lucy sighed. She decided that she would rest until the afternoon, where she would go to the guild and find a mission herself. Based on experience, Lucy knew not to trust Team Natsu to get enough jewels to pay for rent. They'd spend most of the reward on repair costs for damages.

Sighing once again, Lucy pulled the cover over herself, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

‹·.·°‹‡›°·.·›

Waking up a few hours later, Lucy felt better. Her pounding headache had ceased, allowing her to move around freely without feeling dizzy. Her body had also stopped aching.

Lucy cleaned up the mess on the floor. Throwing the last of the tissues into the trash, she was washing her hands at the sink when her stomach growled. Since she hadn't eaten that morning because she was so tired, she was starving now. Looking at the clock, she realized that it was only one in the afternoon. She could make it to the guild in fifteen minutes, get lunch, and head out on a job before two thirty.

Nodding, Lucy smiled to herself. She'd get that rent money in no time! Well, with only five days left before she had to pay rent, she kind of had to.

Grabbing her keys and putting them in the pouch on her belt, Lucy fixed herself up, splashing water on her face. Then, putting on her boots, she headed out the door.

‹·.·°‹‡›°·.·›

Lucy savored the last bite of her chicken alfredo pasta. She slid the last of her jewels across the table to Mira. "As good as always, Mira! Thanks!" Lucy coughed into a tissue Mira had provided for her. The flu seemed to be so much better now, but she could still tire easily. In fact, she was feeling kind of sleepy thanks to the rich white sauce and the carbohydrates of the pasta.

Mira smiled at Lucy. "When you find a mission, let me know so I can approve it," she said. Lucy had explained (more like complained) about her situation with the missing rent. Mira was sympathetic, but knew Lucy wouldn't accept a loan of money from her, or anyone else in the guild for that matter.

Standing in front of the mission board, she greeted Nab, who seemed to be thinking hard between three missions. He was holding the mission papers in his hand, looking back and forth between the sheets. "Finally deciding on a mission?" she asked.

Shaking his head, Nab put all the pieces of paper back onto the board. "Nah. None of these suit me. I'll wait for the new ones," he said.

Lucy knew that Nab was often in front of the mission board. "Do you think you could recommend me a job? Something that pays a lot, but is easy for a half-sick person to do?" she asked. As if to prove that she was sick, Lucy coughed, causing Nab to eye her with concern.

Nab studied the board, then chose a few missions and handed them to Lucy. "Take a look at these. Good luck with your rent!"

That last comment surprised Lucy. "How do you know about my rent?"

Her question made Nab looked as equally surprised. "Well, with how often you go on about rent, and how Team Natsu talks really loudly, everyone in the guild knows about your rent," he explained.

Lucy laughed, pink tinting her cheeks in slight embarrassment. "Yeah… I guess we really are loud. Thank you Nab!"

Sitting back at the bar, Lucy looked through the missions. They were well-paying, but some of them had fighting, and Lucy didn't want to fight while sick. The others… were pretty dull.

Finally, Lucy decided on a mission that seemed the least boring out of the boring ones. It was a request for a mage to help with the remodeling of an elderly home. The reward was just enough to pay her rent; 70,000 jewels. Besides, Lucy wouldn't mind to go on this mission if it was to help older people who lived in the outskirts of Haregon. It would only take four days at most, and by train, Lucy would make it in time to pay her rent.

Walking back to Mira with mission paper in hand, she put it down on the bar counter. "Mira, I'd like to take this one, please."

Mira scanned the mission over. "Are you sure? You have to be careful not to over-exert yourself on this mission, especially because you have the flu. And are you going by yourself?"

Nodding, Lucy confirmed that she was going by herself.

It caused Mira to worry even more. "That's not really safe when you're sick… I know you can take care of yourself, Lucy, but what if—"

Lucy sighed, and offered a small smile. Taking the mission paper back, she walked back to the mission board. "I'll choose another one," she told Mira. Standing in front of the board, with Nab at one side, she scanned it for another mission. Lucy shifted her weight from foot to foot as she tried to find a mission she wouldn't mind doing.

When she was about to choose one that required her to buy a special medicine in Oshibana for the client, a large hand clamped down on her shoulder.

Startled, Lucy let out an "Eeep!" of surprise. She jumped slightly back, running into a wall… wait. More like a rock-hard body.

Blushing, Lucy slowly looked up at the person behind her, taking in the blonde mage with a scar on one eye smirking down at her.

"Hey, Blondie, care to take a mission with us?"

‹·.·°‹‡›°·.·›

 **A/N: Well, how's that? My first multi-chapter LaLu fic! Hope you enjoyed the first chapter. If you'd like to see more, or have any ideas, feel free to review, follow, and fav! Oooh, this is going to be so much fun. (:**


	2. Bad Nicknames and Scary Auras

**_Because of the Flu_**

 _Ch. 2 - Bad Nicknames and Scary Auras_

 _ **Previously:**_ _Blushing, Lucy slowly looked up at the person behind her, taking in the blonde mage with a scar on one eye smirking down at her._

 _"Hey, Blondie, care to take a mission with us?"_

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Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

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Staring up at Laxus, Lucy was still for a few seconds—her mind hadn't registered what Laxus had said.

"Wait, what?!" Lucy asked, spinning around to face him.

Laxus slightly waved the mission request he held in one hand. "I said, Blondie, 'Care to take a mission with us?'"

Frowning a bit at his nickname for her, she replied to his question, her voice rising in volume with every point she made. "First of all, don't scare me like that. Make some noise or something when you approach me; otherwise, it's creepy! It's like you're some kind of… vampire or something with super stealth. Second of all, it depends on what mission you're asking me about." Taking a deep breath, Lucy made her final point, annoyance obviously showing in her tone of voice. "Finally, don't call me Blondie! You're blonde too, and I have a name, so use it!"

Amused at the female blonde's rant, Laxus turned his back to her, motioning for her to follow. As he walked towards the table where the three mages on his team were, he spoke over his shoulder at her. "First of all, I wasn't quiet, you were just lost in your thoughts. Second, my team will explain the mission to you. Finally, I can call you whatever I want, _Blondie_."

Sticking out her tongue at him, Lucy greeted Evergreen, Bickslow, and Freed as she sat down at their table. "Hey! _Sparkle_ here said that you guys have a mission and you're asking me to go along, right?"

Bickslow laughed loudly at Laxus, who was glaring at Lucy. "S-Sparkle!" he choked out between laughs, "Cosplayer just called you Sparkle!"

 _"Sparkle! Sparkle!"_ his babies chanted. The totems flew around the heads of all five mages.

Suddenly, Bickslow gave a yelp of pain as Laxus shocked him with lightning, and as Lucy kicked him in the shin.

"Don't call me Sparkle." "Don't call me Cosplayer."

Despite the pain, Laxus and Lucy speaking at the same time made Bickslow start to laugh again. This time, a sharp pang in his side made his laughing stop. He frowned at Evergreen, who was glaring at him through her glasses. "Bickslow, shut your mouth," she said.

Lucy watched in mild amusement, though she pitied Bickslow for all the bruises he just gained.

Clearing his throat, Freed took the mission paper from Laxus and slid it across the table to Lucy. He gave her a few minutes to read over the information on the paper, before proceeding to explain more about it.

"Miss Lucy, as you can see, this mission is S-class. The client, Sir Ethan, is asking for us to retrieve the jewelry Baron Montique stole from him. The Baron refuses to let Sir Ethan or anyone else examine the jewelry, so Sir Ethan needs us to bring the jewelry to him to prove that the Baron is guilty of theft. Baron Montique has a celebration lasting three days, which is the period of time we have to find and take back the jewelry."

Taking a deep breath, Freed continued. "We're asking you to come because we know that you can interact well with other people of high society, which will be important for this mission. Your Celestial spirits could aide us in finding the jewels if you decide to accept. Evergreen has also said that she dislikes being the only female on this job request, and wants a woman in the guild to come. I know that because of your background you might not want to do this, and it is perfectly understandable if you decline the offer, but we would be grateful if you—"

Lucy slammed both hands onto the table, startling Freed and cutting him off. "I'm in," she said firmly. Despite the fact she might have to re-live some of the memories when she lived in the Heartfilia Konzern, she was going as a Fairy Tail mage, not as Lucky Lucy Heartfilia. Besides, she always had wanted to get to know these four mages ever since the Fantasia incident, and this was the perfect opportunity. Oh, and she mustn't forget about the rent… that little jerk Natsu and his stupid cat Happy…

Laxus was mildly surprised at Lucy's quick acceptance of the offer.

Standing, he nodded shortly at Lucy. "I'll get Mira to sign this," he said, picking up the mission paper. As he walked towards Mira, he was sure he heard Lucy mutter something like "rent…jerks…cat… kill," and assumed she was talking about Natsu and his blue cat.

Laxus rolled his eyes. That dumb ball of hot air must have done something stupid like he constantly was doing.

‹·.·°‹‡›°·.·›

Natsu, who was on Mt. Haboke with Gray, Erza, and Happy on a mission, sneezed.

Gray heard the sneezed and laughed condescendingly. "You pretend you're so strong, but you're just plain weak in the cold." As if to prove his point, Gray tossed his shirt over his head, and stood proudly, not shivering.

Shaking his head, Natsu replied, "Nah. I just sneezed because someone was talking about me, AND NOT ABOUT YOU! Haha, you're not as famous as I am," he crowed, puffing out his chest.

Putting his face in front of Natsu's, Gray growled, "They're talking about you because they want to kill you, Flame-brain!" Little did Gray know that he was right.

Natsu butted foreheads with Gray. "You're just jealous, Popsicle!"

"Ash butt!"

"Frosty the Snowman!"

"Hot Air Balloon!"

"Stripper!"

"Cotton Candy!"

"Oh… you did not just go there…"

Natsu's anger melted the snow around him, while Gray's rage turned the snow into ice.

A dark aura grew strong in front of the fighting mages, making them start to tremble with fear. "Do I see you two fighting?" Erza asked ominously.

Gulping, Gray and Natsu put their arms around each other, and stretched their mouths into a smile.

"N-no, we're just h-having a friendly talk," Gray said.

The aura disappeared in a flash. "Ah, okay. Continue on then," Erza said, smiling.

As soon as Erza's back was turned, Natsu and Gray quickly shoved themselves away from each other.

"Ugh. I can't believe I had to touch you," Natsu muttered.

Gray brushed off his shoulders, shuddering. "I'm glad to get out of your disgusting embrace."

The two continued to bicker quietly as they followed Erza and Happy up the mountain.

‹·.·°‹‡›°·.·›

"So, Laxus. Who's going on the mission?" Mira asked, pen poised to record everything in the mission log.

"Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, Blon— Lucy, and I are taking this," the blonde man replied.

Nodding, Mira recorded the names down. She murmured them as she wrote. "Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, Lucy…" Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she gasped. "Lucy?!" Looking up at Laxus, she was puzzled, yet a bit hopeful at the same time. Was something going on between Lucy and Laxus?

Laxus groaned, before shaking his head. "Evergreen really wanted another female to come along with us, and since the pay is good and Blondie is looking for rent, I asked her with the team's consent," he said.

It didn't escape Mira's attention that Laxus had a nickname for Lucy. _'How sweet'_ she thought, but before she could comment on it, Laxus glared at her. The glare didn't make Mira fear Laxus, but it did make her giggle. "Okay, stay safe, and good luck!" she said, waving as Laxus turned his back to her and walked to the table where his team was.

As he walked away, Laxus didn't notice Mira's dreamy state as she started thinking about many blonde babies running around the guild.

‹·.·°‹‡›°·.·›

"Approved?" Bickslow asked. _"Approved!"_ the spirits chanted.

Nodding, Laxus told them that if it was fine, they could head out to Crocus on the four o'clock train. "Meet at the station a quarter to four with your belongings ready to go," he said.

Without waiting for a reply, Laxus took a few steps back. With a blinding flash of lightning, and a loud clap of thunder, he was gone, off to his house, Lucy presumed.

Standing up with a cough, Lucy notified the others that she would be heading to her own house. "I'll see you guys at 3:45." Then, turning to Evergreen, who had told Lucy to call her Ever, said "If you finish packing early, you can come over to my apartment to hang out. Do you need my address?"

"I would enjoy going over. Can you write it down here?" Evergreen smiled slightly, pushing over a piece of paper and a pen.

Lucy scribbled her address on the paper, and flashed Evergreen a grin. "I'll see you soon!"

‹·.·°‹‡›°·.·›

Lucy had just finished packing up the last of her clothes when she heard the doorbell ring. As she went to the door, she realized that she hadn't heard the doorbell ring in a very long time; everyone else would burst in through the door or the window.

As Lucy opened the door for Evergreen, she squeaked in surprise when the door started tipping over. Evergreen rushed to help Lucy put the door next to the wall, and asked Lucy why her door was broken.

"My team broke the door this morning. I would have had it fixed, but Natsu and Happy spent all my money on food. That's why I was looking for a high-paying job," she explained. "Anyways, what would you like to do? We have about half an hour before we need to leave to go to the station."

Evergreen looked around Lucy's apartment as the latter led the former woman into the living room. Catching sight of some magazines, Evergreen smiled. "You read the _Sorcerer's Fashion_ magazines too?" she asked. Flipping through one, she pointed at emerald green dress. "My dress for the ball is this color," she said.

"Ooh, that would look so nice on you! The color will compliment your eyes. I can't wait to see it," Lucy replied.

The girls chatted, their conversation topics changing smoothly, and Lucy learned a lot about the fairy mage.

The ticking of the clock became more noticeable, loud in a comfortable silence that had settled between the two. The ticking reminded Lucy to check the time, and when she did, Lucy jumped out of her seat on the couch.

"Oh my Mavis, we'll be late if we don't hurry!" Lucy shouted, slinging her duffle bag over one shoulder.

Evergreen quickly put on her shoes and grabbed her suitcase. "Oh no… We can't be late. Laxus will get really annoyed if we miss the train. Not to mention Freed will lecture us, and Bickslow will tease us."

As the two started running, Lucy nodded. "Then let's hope we can make it on time," she panted between breaths.

Breathing heavily and winded, Lucy and Evergreen reached the train station at 3:55; ten minutes late. They looked around for Laxus, Bickslow, and Freed, but couldn't find them, and Lucy started to calm down about being late.

Lucy laughed. "We were worried for nothing! They said they would be here at 3:45, and they're even later than us. Maybe we should buy their tickets for them since the train's already here," she said to Evergreen.

Looking at Evergreen, Lucy noticed her pale complexion. "E-Ever?" she asked.

All Evergreen could do was stand there, frozen, as if her magic had been used on herself.

Hesitantly, Lucy turned around slowly to see Freed, Bickslow, and Laxus. A scary aura surrounding the tall lightning mage. She squeaked and stepped backwards, the aura scaring her. It was just as bad as Erza… she should have predicted this.

"U-uh… H-hey, Laxus," she said quietly, giving a small wave.

Laxus growled, taking a step forwards. "You're late. If you were any later, the train could have left without you, and we'd have to wait for the next one which comes tomorrow afternoon. If we took that one, we would be late to the mission. You need to learn to be more responsible and manage time."

Gulping, Lucy nodded rapidly. "Yes sir. I won't be late again, Mr. Sparkle."

"What was that?" Laxus asked, and his aura darkened to an impossibly dark black that reminded Lucy of a black hole.

Realizing her mistake, Lucy backed up even more. "Uhh, well… um…" Lucy stuttered. Quickly moving towards Evergreen, she shouted, "LET'S GO, EVER!" Pulling Evergreen along with one arm, she pushed Bickslow–who had the tickets– with the other.

As they got on the train, with a still unhappy Laxus, Lucy flopped onto a seat, still slightly frightened of the lightning mage.

Were all S-Class mages this scary?

‹·.·°‹‡›°·.·›

 **A/N: I am so sorry for the wait! I'm not particularly happy with this chapter, but decided to post it anyways and hope for the best. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! A lot of this was happy, filler-ish things, and nothing really important happened besides the mission introduction. There will be more happening next time, so stay tuned!**


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